In Jesus’ time, it was common for shepherds to come together at night for both protection of the sheep and so they could take turns sleeping and keeping watch. When morning came, and it was time for the shepherds to each go off to his green pastures and still waters for the day, each shepherd would call his own sheep. The sheep would recognize their own shepherd’s voice and follow him.
Each year the 4th Sunday of Easter Gospel focuses on Jesus, the Good Shepherd. The readings from Acts and Revelation elaborate on this theme. Today the readings are tied together with the message that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, leads us to Eternal Life.
John 10:27-30
The setting for this Gospel is Hannukah the winter before the Passion and Resurrection. Jesus is in the temple area. Some of the people who have heard him speak for almost three years now ask him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly?” Jesus does not answer, “Yes, I am the Christ”—exactly. Instead, he says, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.” Ouch!
Then Jesus goes on to say today’s Gospel:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”
While it seems to me that it is important to understand the context of our short reading, the Church does not include the background, probably to help us focus on the message of these verses:
- My sheep HEAR my voice.
- I understand them and claim them, and they follow ME.
- If my sheep FOLLOW ME, they follow me all the way to Eternal Life—to Heaven.
- No one can take them away. (This does not mean our salvation is automatic because we are baptized. We can take ourselves away.)
- My Father and I are one—Yes, I AM the Good Shepherd, I AM the Christ, I AM the Son of God.
Do We Hear God’s Voice?
It can be very hard today to recognize God’s voice when reading reflections like this one, when listening to news within the Church, sometimes even when listening to a homily at mass. Divergent views, access to so much information without time or knowledge to evaluate it, higher levels of knowledge of science, business, and culture than knowledge of our faith—they all create a cacophony of voices.
Which ones match Jesus? How can we know? That moves into discernment. There are ways to discern, but they are no where near as fast at giving us an answer as a google search. The reading from Acts gives us some guidance.
Acts 13:14, 43-52
We have jumped ahead in Acts. Paul has “seen the light” and is now on his first missionary journey. He is a new evangelist, an understudy of Barnabas. The two go to Antioch, where the Gospel had already been preached during the time of persecution (Acts 11) As was typical, they went first to the Jewish community. Leaders of the synagogue asked them to speak. Between verse 14 and 43 is the homily Paul preached. Today’s reading, however, is concerned with what happened after he preached. At first everyone was open to what he said, but then Paul and Barnabas discerned that it was now their task to preach to the Gentiles (Greeks mostly), rather than the Jews.
This was a radical change in evangelization. Notice in the reading how Paul and Barnabas responded:
They recognized the need to change: “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.”
Why? “For so the Lord has COMMANDED us.”
The result of following what God said? “The word continued to spread through the whole region.” But, there was also price to pay: Paul and Barnabas were expelled from Antioch.
How did Paul and Barnabas respond? They followed what Jesus had told his disciples to do when he first sent them out two-by-two (Luke 9:5): “They shook the dust from their feet…and went to Iconium.”
Wisdom for Us
When there are many voices, it is hard to hear which one is Jesus. Yet, it is important to follow Jesus—for he is the Good Shepherd who leads us to Eternal Life—the Eternal Life described today in Revelation.
What is most likely to be the voice of Jesus speaking through writer, homily, or action of a leader? A voice that matches Scripture and catechism. Do you have a copy of the catechism? Every home should have one. Do you have a study Bible that has footnotes to help you gain understanding? That, too, is helpful. There are many resources on the internet, but often they run the gamut from one polarity to the opposite. I use them. They can be helpful. But make sure what you read matches something official if you are using it to discern how you should live the Gospel. Know what the Lord commands.
This story from Acts also shows us that sometimes God’s guidance is in Plan B. The first plan doesn’t work. But a second one does. This part of discernment is very hard for me. It conflicts with my upbringing. My father taught me the poem, “It Couldn’t Be Done” and had me say it any time I considered giving up on something. It was a good lesson—but it was over-generalized. Looking back, Daddy didn’t use it with everything I tried to do—but, as a child, I didn’t notice that. Today, I definitely don’t change plans as readily and Paul and Barnabas did. This is a growing point for me. Considering circumstances, it is probably the voice of Jesus for me today in this reading. “Mary, move to Plan B when Plan A does not work.”
The third lesson from Acts today to help with discernment for following Jesus voice: accept that being rejected is also part of following Jesus. Shake the dust and the disappointed feelings. Shake the dust and the pride. Let go. Let God. Move on.
Revelation 7:9, 14b-17
Reading revelation from this theme of following Jesus, the message is that ALL peoples are meant to live in heaven, and troubles are a normal part of getting there. However, again, I will post the link to Bishop Barron’s homily on Sunday morning when it comes out.
Prayer:
Lead me, guide me, Lord. Speak clearly to me. If I don’t hear the first time, speak again. Shout to me, if necessary, through events. But help me to follow You…all the way to heaven. And help me speak for You to others in ways that they can hear You.
